Zach Galifianakis

It was a bumpy road littered with poorly received stand-up shows in nondescript comedy dens, canceled avant-garde talk shows and unfulfilling guest spots on various middling television series, but eventually he made it. Against all odds, Zach Galifianakis -- the burly, confounding comic from the South -- became a movie star. Thanks to his star turn as the neurotic man-child in last summer’s breakout hit The Hangover, Galifianakis has assumed his rightful place alongside Hollywood’s comedy elite. And just to prove that he ain’t no one-hit wonder, Galifianakis has been knocking them out of the park since, with scene-stealing roles in Dinner For Schmucks, Youth In Revolt, HBO’s gem Bored to Death, and the upcoming films It’s Kind of a Funny Story and Due Date opposite Robert Downey Jr. By the time Hangover 2 drops next summer, Galifianakis just may be one of the biggest stars in the world.

Appeal

Zach Galifianakis doesn’t look like a movie star. His staple corduroy jacket; crumpled khakis; New Balance sneakers; fiery, bushy beard; grizzled, jowly face; and general cherubic disposition better suit a grumpy sixth-grade history teacher with a chip on his shoulder. Granted, chiseled features and a pair of baby blues have never been essential traits in comedy’s clan of outsiders, and Galifianakis’ physical imperfections are no doubt part of his appeal.

He may not have graduated from The John Belushi and Chris Farley school of comedy, but he definitely took some classes. Galifianakis has perfected slapstick, but it’s his off-the-wall conceptual material that sets him apart from his colleagues. Unfortunately, Zach Galifianakis is single and not getting any younger. It seems like the ladies have yet to catch on to what the rest of us already know: He’s awesome, so date him or we will!

Success

Long Before Zach Galifiankis became Hollywood’s newest funnyman-du-jour, he had built a reputation among hipsters, college kids and comedy nerds as one of the most adventurous, experimental comedians in the game. Along with his fellow band of comedic outsiders, Galifianakis’ brand of weirdo comedy took the internet by storm -- most notably the absurdist spots he did with Tim and Eric for Absolut Vodka, and his faux talk show Between Two Ferns. Along with a successful string of stand-up tours and their subsequent specials, Galifianakis was on the verge of breaking out. All he needed was the right project. In came Todd Phillips and his debaucherous comedy The Hangover. Galifianakis’ performance in the surprise blockbuster earned him the award for Best Comedic Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, and cemented his spot atop Hollywood’s food chain.

While maintaining his indie cred in films like Youth in Revolt, It’s Kind of a Funny Story and HBO’s Bored to Death, Galifianakis has set out on a quest to negotiate Hollywood’s landscape in big budget films like Due Date and the inevitable The Hangover 2. Something tells us he’ll do just fine.

Zach Galifianakis Biography

Though many believe comedy is born of traumatic childhoods, Zach Galifianakis had a comfortable one, growing up in North Carolina in a big Greek family who loved to laugh. His penchant for performing first manifested itself in a character he developed in high school: an effeminate redneck with a lisp. Though acting was his passion, Galifianakis gave in to his parents wishes and enrolled at North Carolina State University, majoring in communications.

After failing his last course by one point, Zach Galifianakis gave up on school and moved to New York to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. To support himself, the struggling thespian worked as a housekeeper, a busboy at a strip club and, in a prelude to his role in The Hangover, a nanny. Though comedy was the furthest thing from Galifianakis’ mind, he began attending his friend’s stand-up shows and eventually performed his own in the back of a hamburger restaurant in Times Square. The next few years saw Galifianakis perfect his uncomfortable brand of comedy while uniting with several like-minded, convention-smashing comics (Bob Odenkirk, David Cross, Sarah Silverman) to form comedy’s new wave.

zach galifianakis struggles to find his way

Before Zach Galifianakis established himself as one of the most unorthodox, and groundbreaking comedians on the scene, he had to endure a series of roles and guest spots in projects that never really showcased his true strengths. A recurring role on the short-lived sitcom Boston Common, as well as a string of walk-ons in the comedic duds Heartbreakers, Corky Romano and Bubble Boy did little to showcase Galifianakis’ unique talents. His quickly canceled VH1 talk show Late World with Zach lasted only nine weeks, and his dramatic stint on the short-lived FOX show Tru Calling was marred by Galifianakis’ secret desire to be fired.

The turning point for Zach came when fellow comedian Patton Oswalt asked him to take part in “The Comedians of Comedy” tour, which, along with its subsequent film, became a cult hit in the indie comedy circle and helped launch Galifianakis to the forefront of hipster comedy.

zach galifianakis comes into his own

Zach Galifianakis’ star began to rise just as a paradigm shift in comedy began to occur; the marginal became the mainstream. The absurdist homage to Golden Girls that Galifianakis made with Tim and Eric for Absolut Vodka went viral, and even Kanye West commissioned Galifianakis to make his video for “Can’t Tell Me Nothin.” But the personification of Galifianakis’ brand of weirdo comedy is the faux talk show he created and hosts for Funny or Die. Between Two Ferns is an awkward but hilarious send-up of the celebrity interview, featuring Galifianakis’ abrasive interviews with A-listers (often his friends who are in on the joke) including Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron and Bradley Cooper among others. Clearly the masses were ready to embrace Galifiankis. Although many of his colleagues -- namely Tim and Eric, Sarah Silverman and Patton Oswalt -- still operate on the outskirts of mainstream Hollywood, Galifianakis managed to break big. Real big.

zach galifianakis becomes a movie star

Although Zach Galifianakis had appeared in various Hollywood films including What Happens in Vegas, Into The Wild and even starred in the low-budget Visioneers, nothing could prepare him for the aftermath of his biggest role to date. As the lovable but erratic man-child Alan Garner in the bro-tastic Vegas romp The Hangover, Galifianakis helped pull the film to a near $500 million worldwide box office gross, a performance that earned him the Best Comedic Performance award at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.

Zach Galifianakis followed that up with a regrettable turn in the talking hamster flick G-Force (which was filmed before the success of The Hangover), and smaller roles in Up In The Air, Youth In Revolt and Dinner For Schmucks. As his star continues to rise, his role as Jason Schwartzman’s sidekick in HBO’s noir comedy Bored to Death may be in jeopardy, especially with future blockbusters Due Date,It’s Kind of a Funny Story and the highly anticipated The Hangover 2 on the way.